Carton blank and commodity container



P 1968 w. c. HELLER, JR. ETAL 3,400,878

CARTON BLANK AND COMMODITY CONTAINER Filed Sept. 2, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet1 P 1968 w. c. HELLER, JR. ETAL 3,400,878

CARTON BLANK AND COMMODITY CONTAINER Filed Sept. 2, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet2 4 JWeY/Zm Quiz/m, Kfi /Zfr: z aDw/a/d 2/ {Om/a JIECWf/T? United StatesPatent 3,400,878 CARTON BLANK AND COMMODITY CONTAINER William C. Heller,Jr., 1840 N. Farwell Ave., Milwaukee, Wis. 53202, and Donald W. Davis,Milwaukee, Wis.;

said Davis assignor to said Heller Filed Sept. 2, 1966, Ser. No. 576,95910 Claims (Cl. 22937) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A carton blank and acarton produced therefrom having a predetermined area in at least onepanel defined by a thermo'formed portion which is shaped to extendlaterally beyond the plane of the panel.

Background It has become relatively common practice in the packagingindustry to combine paperboard or the like with plastic coverings invarious manners. For example, this sheets or films of plastic haveheretofore been used to cover voids formed in paperboard blanks as bydie cutting, the blanks being then assembled into boxes or cartonshaving transparent windows. In such cases, the window covering isgenerally applied to the carton blank at the converting plant, and isadhered in place as by means of an adhesive or by heat sealing. Foroptimum strength and appearance, it is also common practice to securethe window covering to the interior surface of the carton wall or walls.In such prior instances, the window coverings span the void areas inflat condition and generally afford relatively poor visibility due tothe lack of third dimension in the windowed areas.

It has also been heretofore proposed to preform relatively thick plasticsheet stock to predetermined shapes with the aid of heat, and to thencombine the preformed and self-supported plastic bubble or blister witha flat paperboard backing sheet. In such instances, the commoditypackaged is generally of a self-sustaining nature, such as items ofhardware, sporting goods, cosmetic containers, tooth brushes, or thelike. In packaging the same, the commodity is positioned on thecardboard or paperboard sheet, and the transparent plastic bubble,pre-shaped to accommodate or conform to the commodity, is placedthereover and marginally secured to the backing sheet as by means ofadhesive, heat sealing or staples. While these blisters or bubble packshave enjoyed good commercial acceptance and provide good visibility ofthe packaged product, the use thereof is undesirably limited to productswhich are self-supported and capable of being packaged on a flat base,and the assembly operations must all be performed during the packagingoperations.

In a variation of the blister or bubble pack, it has been proposed toheat soften the plastic sheet and to .mold the same about and intodirect contact with the article or articles being pack-aged as by meansof a vacuum. Such socalled'skin packages possess generally the sameadvantages as the blister packs with regard to protection andvisibility, but-the same disadvantages with respect to assembly andproduct restriction are likewise present.

'1 It is, therefore, another object of this invention to provide animproved'commodity package and method ofpro ducing the same whichobviates the aforesaid disadvantages. I

Another object of the invention is to provide animproved carton which isprovided with one or more void areas of predetermined shape covered by apreformed outwardly or inwardly extending closure of predeterminedcurvature and configuration.

3,400,878 Patented Sept. 10, 1968 A further object of the invention isto provide an improved paperboard container havingone or more windowOpenings of any desired configuration covered by a thermoformed plasticsheet molded to represent a desired object or objects and applicable tothe paperboard base either in a continuous or discontinuous process.

An additional object of the present invention is ,to provide an improvedcarton formed of paperboard or the like and provided with one or moretransparent or opaque bubble covered openings. of any desiredpredetermined configuration, the bubble coverings projecting eitherinwardly or outwardly from the plane of the carton wall containing thesame.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improvedmethod of and apparatus for the efiicient production of cartons havingbubble 'windows in a continuous manneran'd at low cost.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will becomeapparent from the following detailed description.

The drawings A clear conception of the improvements as embodied intypical commodity cartons and of the method and typical apparatus forproducing such cartons in a continuous manner may be had by referring tothe drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specificationwherein like reference characters designate the same or similar parts inthe several views.

FIGURE 1 is a more-or-less diagrammatic view showing the several stepsof a continuous in-line production method of forming the novelcontainers by means of simple apparatus;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of a typical container blank produced by themethod and apparatus of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a transverse section through the blank of FIGURE 2 and takenalong the line 3-3 thereof;

FIGURE 4 is an end view of a container assembled from the blank ofFIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of another typical container partiallyassembled and provided with the improved bubble shaped window coveringsin adjacent .side walls;

' FIGURE 6 is a part-sectional end view of the container of FIGURE 5 incollapsed condition to show the manner in which the bubbles are nested;

FIGURE 7 is another perspective view of a partially assembled containersimilar to that of FIGURE 5 but having bubble covered windows inopposite side walls;

FIGURE 8 is a part-sectional end view of the collapsed carton of FIGURE7; and

FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary perspective view of a carton having apreformed plastic covering over an end of the carton.

Detailed description While the invention :has been shown andldescribedherein as embodied in a carton orcartons of a particular type producedby means of a continuous in-line process and with the preformed plasticcoverings being of particular configurations, it is not intendedordesired to thereby unnecessarily limit the invention by reason "of suchspecific embodiments. It is also contemplated that certain descriptiveterminology used herein shall be given the broadest possibleinterpretation consistent with the disclosure, and wherever the term.bubble is employed herein, it is intended that such reference is toeither a convex or concave covering for the void area over which it isapplied.

In accordance with the present invention, a plastic sheet isthermoformed and .is adhered or attached in position over a Windowopening in a paperboard structure such as a carton, box, tube or thelike. The plastic sheet is thermoformed by heat softening the samewithin the window area or a portion of the window area and then drawingthe heated plastic into a cavity mold by means of vacuum or airpressure. The plastic covering may be formed to conform to the shape ofa portion of the packaged article or it may be molded to represent anydesired object or form. In any case, the plastic covering may beadvantageously used to provide visibility and sales appeal and it mayalso be employed for purposes of decoration, advertising orfunctionality as well ,as sales appeal.

The invention also contemplates provision of improved means formanufacturing carton blanks in which one or more of the carton panelscarries a shaped plastic form, the form being adhered to the cartonblank by any suitable means whereby its projecting flange is attached tothe edges of an opening which has been die cut or otherwise formed inthe carton blank. It is preferable to adhere the flange of the plasticcovering to the inside wall of the carton, and to facilitate storage andhandling, it is advantageous to use a shape which permits nesting. Also,the plastic form or forms may project either inwardly or outwardly fromthe plane of the carton wall, and these coverings may be either opaque,translucent, or transparent. It is also contemplated that the plasticcoverings may be thermoformed in a continuous process at the convertingplant, or these coverings may be preformed and applied to the cartonblanks either at the converting plant or in line with the fillingoperation at the packaging plant, or they could also be thermoformed inline with the filling operation.

Referring now to FIGURE 1 of the drawings, a typical production line isillustrated. which would be especially suitable for the manufacture ofcarton blanks having thermoformed window coverings applied thereto as apart of the converting operation. In this view, a continuous sheet ofpaperboard is drawn from supply roll 14 as by means of cooperating drawrolls 16, 17. The paperboard may be supplied either with or without acoating such as polyethylene or the like dependent upon the intended useof the cartons. The cardboard stock has voids or openings formed thereinas by means of cooperating cutting dies 18, 19, and these openings arethereafter covered by application of a plastic sheet or sheets over thewindow openings. The plastic sheeting may be supplied frm a suitablesupply roll 21 to a pair of cooperating cut off. rolls 22, 23, fromwhich the successive sections of plastic sheetingare applied to theadvancing paperboard 15 by means of an applicator 24 having revolvingapplicator shoes 25, 26. Suitable plastics for use in thermoforminginclude, but are not limited to, cellulose acetate, cellulose acetatebutyrate, polyethlene, oriented polystyrene, and rigid or flexiblevinyls.

The applicator shoes 25, 26 preferably operate in cooperation with heatsealing bars 30 with the successive plastic sheets being adhered to thepaperboard by heat sealing to a suitably coated or treated portion ofthe board. However, adhesives may also be used in place of heat sealing,in which case the bars 30 are replaced by suitable adhesive applicators.From the applicator shoes, the coverings are advanced with the basepaperboard sheet 15 tothe draw rolls 16, 17 which also apply pressure tothe composite portions of the web to firmly seal the plastic coveringsin position.

The paperboard web 15 with the plastic sheets 20 covering the successiveopenings or voids is then passed over a large diameter roll 32 havingcavity molds 33 recessed in its peripheral face. The cavity molds 33communicate with a source of vacuum through ports or passageways 36which in turn communicate with a stationary arcuate vacuum arbor 37communicating through line 38 with a source of vacuum.

As the large diameter roll 32 is rotated, the composite web 15, 20 ismaintained in close contact with the face of the roll by means ofcontinuous steel tapes 40 or the like traversing rolls 41, 42, 43, 44 soas to press against the edges of the composite web. The mold roll 32 issynchronized with the window cutting die 18, 19 so that the plasticcovered windows are positioned over the successive cavity molds 33. Aradiant heat oven 50 is also provided adjacent to the peripheral face ofthe roll 32, and as the composite web 15, 20 passes beneath the radiantheat oven 50, the plastic window coverings are heated to a suitablesoftness for molding purposes.

As each softened window area is brought opposite the vacuum arbor 37after having been heat-softened by the heater 50, a vacuum is applied tothe respective cavity mold 33, thus drawing the plastic down into themold. As each plastic sheet makes contact with the cold metal of themold into which it is drawn, it immediately cools and hardens.Advancement of the paperboard web then is continued beyond and away fromthe peripheral face of the mold roll 32, and the paperboard web pullsthe plastic covering sheets out of the respective molds, the plasticsheets maintaining the shape of the molds 33 as they are withdrawn.

The paperboard web with the thermoformed coverings secured in place overthe void areas is then cut and scored, the cutting and scoringoperations being performed in a customary manner as by cooperating rolls52, 53 to provide successive carton blanks 60 such as shown in FIG- URES2 and 3. The completed carton blanks 60 with the thermoformed bubblecoverings 61 marginally secured to the carton to thus cover the openingsor voids 62 therein are then stacked and are readied for shipment to thepackaging plant, and the product is thereafter inserted and the cartonassembled as shown in FIGURE 4.

While the carton of FIGURES 2, 3 and 4 is shown as having only a singlerectangular opened formed in One of its side walls and covered by athermoformed plastic covering of rectangular configuration protrudingoutwardly from the plane of the carton Wall, the openings may be formedin the top and/ or bottom panels or in adjacent or opposite side walls,and the openings and coverings may be of any desired configuration. Forexample, as shown in FIGURES 5 and 6, a carton 65 may be provided withcorrespondingly shaped openings or voids 66, 67 in adjacent side walls68, 69, and the opaque, translucent or transparent plastic bubblecoverings 70, 71 may be formed to extend outwardly and inwardlyrespectively from the plane of the wall to which each is secured. Thus,by properly locating the openings in corresponding areas of theirrespective side walls, the bubble-like coverings will permit nestingwhen the carton is collapsed as shown particularly in FIGURE 6.

As shown in FIGURES 7 and 8, the openings and/or voids in the cartonwalls may be of any desired configuration, and may, for example simulateChristmas trees or the like to designate special seasons. In theseviews, the carton 75 is formed with the openings 76, 77 in opposing sidewalls 78, 79 with the thermoformed plastic coverings again protrudingoutwardly and inwardly respectively from the plane of the respectiveside wall. Thus, with proper positioning of the side wall openings sothat they are alined when the carton is collapsed, the plastic coverings80, 81 will permit nesting as shown specifically in FIGURE 8.

There are also certain advantages to locating the thermoformed windowcovering in the top or bottom of the foldable carton, and an example ofsuch carton is given in FIGURE 9. In this figure, the carton 85 has theend closure flap 86 thereof formed with an aperture or void 87 ofdesired configuration, and this void is covered by an upwardly extendingthermoformed bubble 88. By thus locating the window, nesting andstacking of the cartons is facilitated, and by forming the bubble oftransparent material, extremely good content visibility results. Also,the window covering may be designed to perform as a pouring spout, or itcould be shaped to simulate the shape of a bottle or the like,

It is contemplated that-the window areacoverings may be formed fromplasicsheets or patches suitably secured to the paperboard stock in theapertured or open areas, or theymay be formed of plastic which has beenextruded over-the voids, in any event, the low cost of shipping foldablecartons, as opposed to the space required by the bulk of rigidContainers is maintained, and the resultant product is novel, attractiveand appealing to purchasers of the packaged product. l

The type of container to which this invention pertains can be used for avaried product line and may include liquids, candies, toys, powdered orgranular products or the like. As indicated, it is possible to drawshape the window coverings into ears, noses, product shapes or the like.While it is anticipated that for most applications it would be desiredto use a plastic which is transparent for the Window covering so thatthe packaged product is visible, it is, nevertheless, anticipated thatin some applications it might be highly desirable to use an opaque ordecorated plastic form which might be made to coordinate with thedecorations or printing on the carton. For example, a carton for useduring the Christmas season might carry printing to represent a SantaClaus with a plastic form on one wall of the carton shaped and decoratedas by distortion printing, to represent the face of Santa Claus with theplastic bubble in the opposite wall of the carton being transparent andin the form of a Santa Claus pack which permits the packaged contents tobe viewed.

While the covering for the void areas in the carton blanks has beenshown herein as being secured to one surface of the carton stockadjacent to each void, a covering may be applied to both surfaces of thecarton stock adjacent to each void area so as to give greater strengthto the final carton. It should also be understood that the void areasand the coverings therefor may be located in any position on the cartonblank, not necessarily a side wall or end panel, and in some instances,the covered void may be formed in an area which falls entirely orpartially within a crease or fold in the finally assembled carton. It isalso conceivable that the windows in the adjacent or pposite walls ofeach carton such as illustrated in FIG- URES to 8 inclusive may beformed simultaneously in a single mold with the suction being applied tothe softened plastic covering in both void areas of each carton blank atthe same time, in which case a suitable agent may be utilized in orderto prevent adherence of the softened plastic covers applied to overlyingwalls. Furthermore, in the illustrations of FIGURES 5 to 8 inclusive, itis contemplated that the inwardly protruding bubble be formed in thismanner primarily for nesting purposes as illustrated, but such inwardlydirected bubble may be forced outwardly by suitable pressure applicationafter assembly and immediately before or during the packaging process.This concept is illustrated in FIGURE 8 wherein the initial position ofthe bubble covering 81 is shown in full lines with the coveringbeingillustrated in its final position by means of broken lines. Dependingupon the nature of the carton stock utilized, it is additionallycontemplated that the wall of the base sheet may be partially moldedalong with the covering material, and such structures could be made withpaperboard stocks which inherently contain a considerable amount ofplastic such as Geon which is capable of being formed with heat andpressure.

Again, with specific regard to the embodiment of FIG- URES 5 to 8inclusive, it will be noted that not only is provision made for thenesting of the bubble coverings in collapsed condition of the cartons,but these cartons are also nestable for most convenient packaging andshipment when filled. In assembled and filled condition, the cartons maybe stacked side by side with the outwardly directed bubble window 70 ofFIGURE 6, for example, nested Within the inwardly directed bubble window71 of the next adjacent carton, thus conserving space and requiring onlysuch additional space as is necessary for one outwardly directed bubblewindow for each row of cartons.

Various modes of carrying out the invention are" contemplated as beingwithin the scope of r the following claims particularly pointing out anddistinctly claiming the subject matter that is regarded as theinvention:

We claim:

1. A carton blank comprising, abase sheet scored to provide side and endpanels, said sheet having void areas formed in correspondingpredetermined areas of adjacent panels, and a sheet of thermoplasticmaterial covering each of said void areas and secured to said base sheetabout the voids, said thermoplastic covering sheet having the portionsthereof which span the voids shaped to extend laterally beyond the planeof said base sheet.

2. A carton blank according to claim 1, wherein the spanning portions ofthe thermoplastic covering sheets extend beyond the plane of the basesheet in opposite directions.

3. A carton blank comprising, a base sheet scored to provide side andend panels, said sheet having void areas formed in correspondingpredetermined areas of opposite panels, and a sheet of thermoplasticmaterial covering each of said void areas and secured to said base sheetabout the voids, said thermoplastic covering sheet having the portionsthereof which span the voids shaped to extend laterally beyond the planeof said base sheet.

4. A carton blank according to claim 3, wherein the thermoplasticcovering sheets extend beyond the plane of the base sheet in oppositedirections.

5. A carton blank comprising, a base sheet scored to provide side andend panels, said sheet having an unobstructed void area formed in atleast one panel thereof, and a sheet of thermoplastic material coveringthe void area and secured to said base sheet about the void to providethe sole covering thereof, said thermoplastic covering sheet being atleast partially transparent and selfsustainable and having the portionthereof which spans the void shaped to extend laterally beyond the planeof said base sheet.

6. A carton blank comprising, a base sheet scored to provide side andend panels, said sheet having an unobstructed void area formed in atleast one panel thereof, and a sheet of thermoplastic material coveringthe void area and secured to said base sheet about the void to providethe sole covering thereof, said thermoplastic covering sheet beingself-sustainable with the portion thereof which spans the void-shaped toextend laterally beyond the plane of said base sheet and beingdistortable to permit forceful distention thereof from a positionwherein it extends laterally beyond the plane of the base sheet oneither side thereof.

7. A carton blank comprising, a sheet scored to provide side and endpanels, said sheet having a self-sustaining thermoformed portion ofgiven shape extending laterally beyond the plane of said sheet in onedirection in a predetermined area of one of said panels, and having aself-sustaining thermoformed portion of the same given shape extendinglaterally beyond the plane of said sheet in the opposite direction in acorresponding predetermined area of another of said panels.

8. A commodity container comprising, a carton defined by cooperatingside and end panels, one of said panels being formed with aself-sustaining thermoformed portion of given shape extending laterallyoutwardly beyond the plane of said one panel in a predetermined areathereof, and the opposite panel being formed with a self-sustainingthermoformed portion of the same given shape extending laterallyinwardly beyond the plane of said opposite panel in a correspondingpredetermined area thereof.

9. A commodity container according to claim 8, wherein theself-sustaining outwardly extending portion is formed in an end paneland the self-sustaining inwardly extending portion is formed in theopposite end panel.

10. A commodity container according to claim 8, wherein theself-sustaining outwardly extending portion is formed in a side paneland the self-sustaining inwardly extending portion is formed in theopposite side panel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS PfOhl 20678 Zastrow 206-44.11X'RCrane 20645.31

Crane 20645.31 Greenbaum 20645. 31XR Gulliver 206 45.31 XR DAVIS T.MOORHEAD, Primary Examiner.

